Sorry, this post is quite long but it's actually very short! It's mostly instructions on a couple of stretches which bring in the pain i have in my shoulder/arm. I've tried to be as detailed as possible. Please, I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP.

Back in June 2007, so approx. 9 months ago, I was playing tennis. Nothing serious, and after 20 minutes into the game i felt a pain in my shoulder after a regular forehand. I didn't do anything special, it was just a normal forehand. I kept playing for another 10-20 minutes, then stopped. I've carried the pain ever since. I did physio in Oct. for 2 months (around 15-20 sessions?). The physio said it was my rotator cuff, though the pain i felt was more in my arm as opposed to my shoulder. And the problem was that I couldn't, and still can't, pinpoint the pain. it's just somewhere in my arm/shoulder, i don't know where.

Needless to say, I still have the pain, and I wanted to know if anyone's experienced a similar problem. I'll give instructions for two pulls which hit the pain for me (it's my right arm/shoulder btw):

1) sit/stand straight. Bring your right hand behind your lower neck, with your forearm behind your head and lightly against it. Your elbow should be pointing up (and by up i mean almost directly above you) at this point. Now, put your left hand behind your right elbow and push it down, bringing your right hand down your spine as much as you can. You probably do this exercise as a warm-up all the time.

2) Make sure your back is straight, your chest out, and your abs tight. Put the back of your RIGHT hand against the middle of your lower back (e.g. your knuckles are against your lower back and just past your spine, maybe an inch past your spine). Move your hand up or down so that your forearm is PARALLEL to the ground and your hand and forearm are in a straight line. Now bring your hand up slightly from the wrist, without moving your shoulder/arm/forearm (i.e. make your hand point slightly up). At this point my pain kicks in, but there's more i can do to bring more pain. Put your left hand under your right pinkie, and push your hand up, moving it even more higher without moving the forearm/arm/shoulder.

3) I think this one brings the most pain. Extend your right arm straight out in front of you so that your hand, forearm, and arm are parallel to the ground and in a straight line in line with your shoulder (as if there's someone your height right in front of you at an arm's extension and you put your right hand on his/her shoulder). Again, your arm is straight out in front of you. Oh, I guess an easier illustration would be to say: point at whatever is in front of you, with your forearm and arm extended as much as possible.
Now, bent your arm at your elbow, bringing your hand in front of your LEFT shoulder. The forearm and arm should make a 90 degrees angle at your elbow, so while your right hand is in front of your left shoulder, it's not touching it and is an arm away from it. Again, everything's parallel to the ground.
Finally (phew!), bring your forearm down as much as you can while keeping your arm and shoulder still as much as possbile. So now, arm is parallel to the floor and in line with your shoulder, your right elbow is pointing to your right/in front of you, and your forearm and hand is pointing down, making a approx. 45 degrees angle with the floor. It's now hurting at this point, but to bring in the real pain, pPut your left hand against the back of your right hand, and push it down, stretching the arm and shoulder. Now it hurts!

In all these exercises, the pain is somewhere from my shoulder to halfway down my arm.

I did your #3 on myself (I have shoulder impingement issues - big thread elsewhere here) and experience pain in the outside of my upper arm, just below the shoulder itself. Supposedly, according to various therapists and doctors I've been to, the tendons can be impinged up in your actual shoulder but the pain radiates down your arm. So, you don't actually feel the pain where the problem is.

Do you have a similar pain if you stand with your arms at your sides, then raise your right arm (palm down) to the side of your body perpendicular to your body? Kind of like if you were 'flapping your wings'. Do the movement slowly and see if the same pain exists.

If so, some of the topics in the 'Shoulder Issues' thread may be of use to you. Good luck!

I did your #3 on myself (I have shoulder impingement issues - big thread elsewhere here) and experience pain in the outside of my upper arm, just below the shoulder itself. Supposedly, according to various therapists and doctors I've been to, the tendons can be impinged up in your actual shoulder but the pain radiates down your arm. So, you don't actually feel the pain where the problem is.

Do you have a similar pain if you stand with your arms at your sides, then raise your right arm (palm down) to the side of your body perpendicular to your body? Kind of like if you were 'flapping your wings'. Do the movement slowly and see if the same pain exists.

If so, some of the topics in the 'Shoulder Issues' thread may be of use to you. Good luck!

No i have no such pain when i flap my wings! Although I should try again later, cuz the funny thing with this pain is that if I stretch my arm too much in these pain-inducing exercises, the pain sort of goes away after 30 seconds or so. Well, i don't think it actually goes away, but that I become used to the pain and can't feel it anymore.
So, i'll do it again in an hour or so.

actually, i guess I do feel a little pain when I flap. I can also increase the pain if i twist my arm clockwise or counter clockwise while i have my arm stretched out straight to my side and parallel to the ground.

actually, i guess I do feel a little pain when I flap. I can also increase the pain if i twist my arm clockwise or counter clockwise while i have my arm stretched out straight to my side and parallel to the ground.

That can indicate a problem with shoulder abduction. You may also have an issue with internal rotation (judging from the pain felt with the 3 stretches you've described. Try another movement -- instead of lifting your (straight) arm to the side, lift it up in the forward direction -- this is shoulder flexion. I only feel slight pain with this movement. However, when trying to lift something relatively light, even a partially-filled milk carton, I feel an intense pain.